Oda/Myths and Theories
Myths and Theories Due to Nobunaga's unique characteristics, there are a few myths and legends surrounding him. Here are two of the popular ones. Nobunaga died before Honnōji? This particular theory arose due to the number of enemies Nobunaga had in 1570. In the battle of Kanegasaki, Nobunaga was returning to his homebase for the battle. As he was traveling through the mountain area, he was shot by Zenjubo Sugitani. He fell to the ground and the assassin fled. While it's historically accepted that he survived the encounter, there is speculation of Nobunaga's death due to the wound he sustained. It's commonly believed that Nobunaga was furious, but he was actually -in this story- ordering for his wounded state to be held somewhere else in secret. By the time the infamous Incident at Honnōji occurred, his impostor met his end and Nobunaga had already passed away in 1573. His impostor's death date and accomplishments were then accredited under Nobunaga's name. The possibility of this event occurring is plausible, but it has not been widely accepted by modern historians. Nobunaga's lovers? There is no doubt that Nobunaga was bisexual and enjoyed a great deal of lovers during his time. What this section aims to do is to identify who they possibly were. The famous male lover he had was his page, Mori Naritoshi. He valued his page dearly and it's believed that some of Naritoshi's advancements were made based on their relationship with one another. It's debatable whether Naritoshi actually recuperated these feelings, but his last stand with his master is considered to be strange for a page. Here are some of the possible lovers he could have had. * Oichi - popular for those who believe the plausible theory that Oichi was not a blood relative of Nobunaga. In a few accounts, he did treasure her and he was proud to call her one of the land's beauties. In this scenario, he was attracted to her tall stature and pale skin. There is also some speculation that Chacha was actually Nobunaga and Oichi's child. * Azai Nagamasa - mainly based on the story that Nobunaga was more attracted to men and was shocked when Nagamasa betrayed him. Nagamasa was said to have been under pressure from his father to gain Nobunaga's trust through any means necessary; in this case, this meant using his good looks. * Personal harlem - sometime after Azuchi Castle was established, Katsuie gave Nobunaga 60 maidens as a sign of trust between them. They were sent to live in the castle, but over time the population of mistresses, wives and maids rose to 1,000. However, it was more likely established to show off his power rather than personal enjoyment. When he heard the number of young people within the castle, he was relieved that the castle would be well taken care of in his absence. It was said that he would go there to relax and chat with these maidens rather than anything else.